Typewriter word counter



A. E. KING.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG- 19, I920. 1,432,759. Pafanted Oct. 24, 19.22.

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TYPEWRITER WORD COUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1920. 1,432,759. Patented Oct. 24, 1922..

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5 M mi Z Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. KING, OF ST. KILDA, NEAR MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

TYPEWRITER WORD COUNTER.

Application filed August 19, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED Ennns'r KING, a subject of the King of Great Britain, of 191 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda, near Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Australia, managing law clerk, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriter Word Counters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the provision of means for the automatic computation of the work of a type writing or like machines the object being to obviate the necessity of counting the number of typed words and folios as'is the necessary custom at present in vogue.

To achieve this object means are associated with the usual space bar of the machine and connected with a computing device whereby intermittent operation of said device is effected, each counting operation being actuated through the medium of the usual depression movement of the space bar at the completion of each typed word. The mechanism preferably incorporates means for effecting manual operation independent of the space bar to actuate the computing device when required as for instance in counting numerals. A practical form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan, with parts omitted, of the keyboard portion of a type writing machine with the invention applied thereto, and

Fig. 2 an elevation of same, partly in section.

Fig. 3 an enlarged vertical section through the casing of the computing device, parts of the mechanism being broken, and

Fig. 4 is a similar horizontal section.

In these drawings it will be seen that a rock shaft 1 is mounted beneath the key board frame 2 in bearings 3 formed on plates 4 fixed to the underside of same frame. Projecting forwardly from said rock shaft are arms 5 which underlie the usual side arms 6 of the spring controlled space bar 7 said arms 5 being connected by a bar 8 and normally raised in contact with a stop, such as the bottom edge of the front transverse member of the frame 2, by means of a spring 9 one end being fixed at 10 to one arm 5 and the other end passing over the rock shaft and bearing against the underside of the frame.

Serial No. 404,515.

These arms 5 are provided with lugs 11 having adjustable screw threaded stops 12 which limit the downward movement of the bar 8 by contact with the plates 4.

It will be understood by the foregoing that operation of the space bar 7 by downward pressure causes its arms 6 to bear upon arms 5 and thus rock the shaft 1 and it will be evident that the arms 5 and 6 might be directlyconnected by links to accomplish the same object. By means of the construction illustrated however, in which the arms are disconnected, the arms 5 may be held down and the rock shaft rendered inoperative when desired and for this purpose the bar 8 18 provided with a catch or look 13 which when said bar is lowered is turned on its pivot 14 to engage under the front frame member 2.

The computing device is fixed to the side of a vertical member '15 of the main frame of the type writer and the mechanism is operated by a lever 16 fixed to the end of the rock shaft 1.

This lever 16 is connected with a vertically extending link 17 connected by pin 18 with one end of a pawl 19 mounted upon a pivot 20 on the cross head 21 of an arm 22 projectmg from a sleeve 23 which is mounted to oscillate about a shaft 24 projecting horizontally from the back plate 25 of the mechanism. This pawl is formed with a hook 26 at its operative end and is pressed forward by a spring 27 into engagement with a ratchet toothed wheel 28 fixed to a hub 29 rotatably mounted on the shaft 24. This wheel will have teeth corresponding in number with the number of words per folio as for instance 72 and similarly the dial face 30 will have a corresponding number of calibrations. The dial face is fixed to a ring 31 suitably supported by brackets 32 from the back plate 25 and the indicator 33 is fixed on the hub 29 of the wheel.

Thus, each time the shaft 1 is rocked either by depression of the space bar 7 or of bar 8 of this mechanism lever 16 raises link 1.7 and the hook shaped pawl 19 rotates the ratchet wheel 28 one tooth forward and consequently the indicator advances one unit around the dial face and one complete revolution of the wheel equals one folio.

The pivot 34 connecting lever 16 and link 17 is mounted on a guide arm 35 the free end of which passes through a slot 36 formed in a bracket 37 fixed to the back frame plate and backward rotation of the ratchet wheel 28 is prevented by means of a retaining pawl 38.

Incorporated with the mechanism described are means for computing folios and this consists of an arm 39 mounted on a pivot 4:0 fixed to the back plate 25 and controlled by a spring as normally pressing said arm down upon a volute shaped cam etl fixed to the face of the wheel 25. Connected with this arm 39 is a link 42 connected with the usual lever l3 ofthe well known computing device at which adds a unit to its total at each operation of the lever 43 said device being-elevated and fixed to the back plate 25.

In operation, as the wheel 28 rotates, the cam tl gradually raises the spring controlled arm 39 until it passes the projection 46 off said cam furthest from its axis when it springs downwardly, beinglimited in this movement by the limited movement of lever L3 and the operation of the latter causes a unit to be added to the previous total on the dial of totalling device a l,

Means operated manually are provided for completingthe rotation of the wheel 28 when desired to return the indicator to zero as for instance when type matter finishes with only portion of a folio and iorthis purpose the hub 29 to which said ratchet wheel and indicator are fixed is provided with a toothed wheel 4L7 gearing with a pinion l8 mounted on a spindle 49 extending through a bearing 50 on the plate 25 and provided with a turning knob 51. Thus by rotating this knob the indicator may be quickly returned to starting position.

I claim 1- Register for typewriters including in combination, a depressible bar, a spring controlled rock shaft operated thereby, said rock shaft being journalled under the key board and provided with forwardly projecting arms underlying the side arms of said space bar, lugs on said armsprovided with adjustable screws limiting the clownward movement of said arms, a transverse bar joining the latter and provided with a pivoted catch effectively operated whensaid bar is depressed to render the mechanism inoperative and a computing device operated through the medium of a lever on said rock shaft. I

Dated this 15th day of June 1920.

ALF. E. KING. 

